Recommendation for Service

[DRich]

Hello all,

I'm a new Roadtrek 170 owner. I use it to travel with my pets from MN to AZ for the winter.

I'm having some kind of battery problem. I took it to Camping World for service and they replaced the battery saying it was a bad cell. The battery was just replaced in January. I asked them to check the electrical system when it was there and they said they did and everything was fine.

Well after it was plugged in for 24 hours the battery did not fully charge. When I took it back what they said to me leads me to believe they never did check the electrical system.

I've been reading posts here for awhile and have seen there are posters from MN so I'm hoping to get a recommendation for a good RV mechanic in the Mpls/St. Paul area (I live in a southern suburb of St. Paul). Thanks.

[wny-pat]

Just my opinion for what it's worth - Stay far away from big box RV stores and service centers! Far better to use the old Roadtrek dealers and mobile RV mechanics!

If your battery did not fully charge, did they charge it before installing it? Could also be that you got a faulty battery.

[mkguitar]

tough without details- many of us are "fix it yourselfers" - crucial if camping takes you to the boonies


I'd be looking at the isolator switch turned on, breakers, fuses and etc


Mike

[DRich]

Originally Posted by wny-pat

Just my opinion for what it's worth - Stay far away from big box RV stores and service centers! Far better to use the old Roadtrek dealers and mobile RV mechanics!

If your battery did not fully charge, did they charge it before installing it? Could also be that you got a faulty battery.

He did say they fully charged it but they never checked the battery tester inside the coach to see what it said.

I don't know who the old Roadtrek dealers were in MN. Hopefully someone from MN does and can point me in their direction.

[DRich]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

tough without details- many of us are "fix it yourselfers" - crucial if camping takes you to the boonies


I'd be looking at the isolator switch turned on, breakers, fuses and etc


Mike

It's kind of a long story about the issue.

It started when I stayed at a new campground and the battery separator was clicking on and off every 10 seconds after I plugged in. I did use a surge protector. The roadside assistance guy said it sounded like electrical surging and said I should move to a different plug in location. They did move me and it was fine for 3 hours then started again. It was dark by then but I went out to look at the surge protecter and the light that says 'overheating when on' was on so I unplugged for the rest of the night and turned the fridge to propane.

Next morning I used the furnace to warm up and checked the battery tester and it was amber on the "G". I turned fridge to battery like I always do. Started driving and about 30 min later my propane/CO detector starts beeping the low battery beep. I pulled over to the side of the road and the battery tester showed the red "L". I turned the fridge to propane while I was stopped and called back roadside assistance and the beeping then stopped. I looked at the battery tester again and saw it jumped up to the red "F".

After a lot of back and forth with roadside assistance I decided to drive a short distance to a campground I'd been to before and call a mobile RV guy. When I first plugged in there the battery separator was clicking on and off again so I unplugged to wait for the rv guy. When we plugged it in again it didn't click. He tested the voltage at the separator, my chassis battery, and house battery. Voltage was good and he said the house battery was charging. All the fuses checked out as good.

I was plugged in there for about 18 hours. Everything worked fine being plugged in but when I looked at the battery tester in the morning it was amber color on the "G". I unplugged and looked at it again and it had fallen to the red "F" level. I again turned the fridge to battery and figured driving would charge it. After about an hour of driving the beeping started again. I pulled over and just turned off the battery and drove on to my next destination.

Plugged in, immediately turned the fridge to propane and checked the thermometer inside it and was concerned that the fridge temp was a bit over 40.

Long story short, every day of the return trip the battery tester never got higher than amber on the 'G' when plugged in and always immediately fell to red 'F' after unplugging. I would turn the fridge to battery when I started out each morning and then turn it off when it started beeping low. I also bought a bag of ice to put in the fridge to keep the food cold from one destination to the other until I could plug in.

I explained all this to the CW guy. He called me a couple hours later to tell me there was nothing wrong because the battery was charging. I told him again that's what the mobile rv guy said too but obviously something was not working right. He was supposed to call the next day, never did. I had to call back and speak with the manager who then said he was getting a different story from me than what was written down. I told him it's exactly the same as I told the other guy. He then calls me back and says that a cell was shot and replaced the battery. That battery had just been replaced in mid-January. I asked them to check the electrical system and when I picked it up the next day they said they did and everything was fine and the battery was fully charged.

So I take it home. I hadn't used it in about a week so I plugged it in for 24 hours. Before unplugging I checked the tester again and again it is only showing amber on the 'G". When I started the engine and looked at the battery tester it showed green on the 'C'. When I turn the engine off it falls to amber on the "G". It never showed that it was charging when it was plugged in.

I did take it back and talked to the manager and he then said they didn't go into the coach to check the panel so I doubt they even checked anything on the electrical system. They have it now but haven't called me back yet.

I don't have any confidence in the CW guys and that's why I was asking for a recommendation for someone to take it to. Not anything I can do myself.

[@Michael]

Originally Posted by DRich

I turned fridge to battery like I always do. Started driving and about 30 min later my propane/CO detector starts beeping the low battery beep. I pulled over to the side of the road and the battery tester showed the red "L". I turned the fridge to propane while I was stopped and called back roadside assistance and the beeping then stopped. I looked at the battery tester again and saw it jumped up to the red "F".

[...]

I again turned the fridge to battery and figured driving would charge it. After about an hour of driving the beeping started again. I pulled over and just turned off the battery and drove on to my next destination.

[...]

I would turn the fridge to battery when I started out each morning and then turn it off when it started beeping low.

If this is a propane fridge and you switch it to battery, it'll draw lots of current. I think that's part of the problem.

I'd go with one of the smaller dealers in MN - one that is locally owned. What part of MN are you in?

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by wny-pat

Just my opinion for what it's worth - Stay far away from big box RV stores and service centers! Far better to use the old Roadtrek dealers and mobile RV mechanics!

In my neck of the woods, the old RT dealers are all part of one mega-RV chain, La Mesa RV, and its overall service reputation is akin to Camping World, which is to say, noted for long delays, return visits, and high costs.

I'd just look for a good local, independent RV repair shop. While it helps to have specific RT experience, a competent tech can trace it down whatever the make. Hopefully someone will be along with a specific recommendation in the region. That was the point, I believe.

[markopolo]

This could easily be a problem caused by the Surge Guard unit. The Plug Overheat light on the Surge Guard could be caused by a problem within the Surge Guard -> see https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post2195210

An intermittent shore power connection (caused by a faulty Surge Guard unit) could cause the separator to click on and off.

Intermittent shore power could lead to early battery failure as the battery isn't getting fully charged.

Camping World and the mobile tech might not have used your surge guard when testing so never found that problem.

[DRich]

Originally Posted by @Michael

If this is a propane fridge and you switch it to battery, it'll draw lots of current. I think that's part of the problem.

I'd go with one of the smaller dealers in MN - one that is locally owned. What part of MN are you in?

yes, I do realize it will draw more power on battery but that's what I put it on when driving and never had a problem with it previously.

I live in a south suburb of St. Paul.

[DRich]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

In my neck of the woods, the old RT dealers are all part of one mega-RV chain, La Mesa RV, and its overall service reputation is akin to Camping World, which is to say, noted for long delays, return visits, and high costs.

I'd just look for a good local, independent RV repair shop. While it helps to have specific RT experience, a competent tech can trace it down whatever the make. Hopefully someone will be along with a specific recommendation in the region. That was the point, I believe.

My sister lives in Mesa, AZ and that's where I stay in winter. I did find a family owned rv repair place in Apache Junction that had good reviews. I went there when I had generator problems and liked them alot. Now I need to find somebody in MN.

[DRich]

Originally Posted by markopolo

This could easily be a problem caused by the Surge Guard unit. The Plug Overheat light on the Surge Guard could be caused by a problem within the Surge Guard -> see https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post2195210

An intermittent shore power connection (caused by a faulty Surge Guard unit) could cause the separator to click on and off.

Intermittent shore power could lead to early battery failure as the battery isn't getting fully charged.

Camping World and the mobile tech might not have used your surge guard when testing so never found that problem.

I'm beginning to think it is the problem with the surge protector.

I got a call back from CW and they said that everything is now showing green on the battery tester. They said when they first brought it in they did see it was amber. They plugged it in and after about an hour it went to green. They didn't use any surge protector.

I had upgraded to a surge protector that will shut off if there's a problem. I didn't use the new upgraded one when I plugged in. I had been using the old one at my sisters before I left without a problem. It wasn't until after I stayed at that first campground that I had the problems. And I used it at each place on the way home. I'm now thinking that may in fact be the culprit.

[elwin]

I am in minneapolis, and had a roadtrek 190 Versatile 2006 for a few years, I found that Lake Region RV was a good place to get my rig serviced when I couldn't figure out issues. 7815 Riverdale Dr NW Ramsey 55303 +1 763-421-1419 (they helped with a couple electrical issues I ended up having) There service shop gets busy but when you get their attention they were quite good. For Chevy issues I use lupient 494/35

[DRich]

Originally Posted by elwin

I am in minneapolis, and had a roadtrek 190 Versatile 2006 for a few years, I found that Lake Region RV was a good place to get my rig serviced when I couldn't figure out issues. 7815 Riverdale Dr NW Ramsey 55303 +1 763-421-1419 (they helped with a couple electrical issues I ended up having) There service shop gets busy but when you get their attention they were quite good. For Chevy issues I use lupient 494/35

Appreciate the recommendations.